Elena rushed me with both hands around the syringe. My guards drew, but they were half a second too slow. The needle was already level with my throat.
I did not step back. I was tired of Elena, tired of letting her take up one more second of my life.
Someone ran out from behind a concrete pillar.
He hit Elena from the side. They landed together and slid across the oil-stained concrete. The syringe spun away, then struck the floor.
It was Dante.
His suit was rumpled and his face unshaven. He was the man from the black car on the ridge, waiting for a chance to come near me.
He pinned Elena down with one hand around her wrist while she kicked and clawed at him.
“I’ll kill her! I’ll kill you both!” she shrieked, her voice cracking.
“You will never touch her again!” Dante shouted.
He l
